Property Record
245 N HARTWELL AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | LEE S. OVITT HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 28681 |
| Location (Address): | 245 N HARTWELL AVE |
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| County: | Waukesha |
| City: | Waukesha |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1901 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1992 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | VAN RYN & DEGELLEKE |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | McCall Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 3/29/1993 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Architectural Description: A fine example of the Queen Anne style, the Ovitt House features a complex combination of masses and materials integrated to form a cohesive design. The Ovitt House is two stories plus attic, is rectangular in shape, and rests on a cut stone foundation. The main gable roof runs north-south, and on the the facade it extends to cover a recessed porch. Brick piers support the three segmental arches which create the porch openings. The smooth, brown St. Louis brick of the porch is also employed for the adjoining two story tower. This tower is semiciruclar, engaged in the main house, but is capped by a conical roof. Its windows are decorated with stone lintels and sills. Balancing the tower to the north is a large pedimented dormer clad in shingles. At the gable peak of the dormer is an oculus window. Although the juxtaposition of the tower and dormer appears in a number of Queen Anne designs in Waukesha, this is one of the few in which they are approximately equal in scale and importance, and in which they do not totally dominate the remainder of the building. Windows in the house are irregular in size and most are single-light double hung sashes. Some are decorated with cornice lintels. On the side elevations the shingled second story projects slightly, with brackets or consoles marking the overhang. Below this, the house is covered with clapboards. A two story wing extends to the rear. Other decoration on this house includes returned eaves, projecting shallow bays supported by brackets, and a front porch constructed of tan brick. The brick porch piers support arched openings, and the balustrade and staircase of the porch are decorated with large stone blocks. A side entry is covered with a simple porch with a flat roof, wooden frieze, round columns, and a balcony. The residence is in excellent to good condition. Remaining on the lot is a carriage barn, converted into a garage (WK 82/25). This structure repeats the house's gabled roof with a steeply pitched front gable featuring returned eaves. It also contains a clapboard exterior, single light windows with transoms, and brackets. Architectural Significance: While the house has a rectangular plan, the design creates the inrregularity of the Queen Anne style by using a variety of materials on the exterior and by adding projecting bays, a dormer, and a tower to interrupt the symmetry of the house. In excellent condition, the house has a high level of integrity, and the good condition of the matching carriage house adds to the significance of the property. The architects, Van Ryn & DeGelleke, of Milwaukee, are more known for their school designs, but in this house, they show how well they were able to interpret the Queen Anne style for a large house on a small urban lot. The Ovitt House is significant as a representative example of a period of construction, providing within Waukesha a fine example of late Queen Anne design. Historical Statement: This house was built for Lee Ovitt, a local realtor. Prior to the turn of the century, Ovitt was the vice-president and treasurer of the Silurian Casino. Between 1906 and 1919, the house was then the home of Samuel and Susie Harding. Samuel Harding was a local resident who attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He began his career as a draftsman in the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company of Milwaukee. Between 1890 and 1900, he was an engineer for this company. In 1900, he became president of the Modern Steel Strucutral Company. He also held directorships in two other companies. Between 1921 and 1945, Rossiter and Ethel Wilbur occupied this house. Wilbur was president of the Wilbur Lumber Company. [A, B]. David A. and Velma Geraldson were owners of this dwelling in 1982. Historical Significance: This house has some historical interest as the home of Samuel Harding and Rossiter Wilbur, two local businessmen. Other map codes include McCall Street Historic District Map 36/16, District Map 82/23, City Map #29, 30, and Map "B". |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. City Directories for the City of Waukesha, on file at the Waukesha Public Library, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Waukesha City Directories, 1899-1902. B. "Waukesha Freeman," 17 October 1901, p. 2; Theron W. Haight, ed., "Memories of Waukesha County," Madison: Western Historical Association, 1907, p. 469. C. MCCALL STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT WALKING TOUR, WAUKESHA LANDMARKS COMMISSION. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |